April 29, 2015

The 2015 All-Star game ballot was released today, even though we are not yet done the first month of action. The voting in 2015 will be different than the past; "hanging chads" will not be a worry, nor will fans have to worry about finding a way to punch ballots with their keys, straws, or whatever else happened to be nearby in the ballpark.

The Phillies players on the 2015 ballot are:

Ryan Howard, first base

Chase Utley, second base

Freddy Galvis, shortstop

Cody Asche, third base

Carlos Ruiz, catcher

Odubel Herrera, outfielder

Ben Revere, outfielder

Domonic Brown, outfielder

Yes, Lehigh Valley IronPigs outfielder Domonic Brown is on the All-Star ballot. The release of the ballot led to plenty of jokes from Phillies fans. Jeff Francoeur has started most of the Phillies games in right field thus far, but I think fans would laugh just as much had Francoeur been on the ballot instead.

Balloting is underway for the 86th All-Star Game on July 14 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, with Wednesday's launch of the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot. It begins your annual privilege to decide the starting position players for the American and National Leagues, but there is one big difference now: it's online only.

MLB's All-Star balloting program, which moves forward in a digital world without paper balloting at the ballparks, is the largest of its kind in professional sports. Nearly 160 million ballots have been cast over the past five years, including a record 40.2 million ballots cast in 2012. In addition, more than 300 million votes were submitted in 2014.